description Massif du Vercors Overview
The Massif du Vercors is a limestone mountain region of the French Prealps, lying mainly within the departments of Isère and Drôme. Its landscape includes high plateaus, cliffs, caves, forests, and deeply cut gorges, much of it protected within the Vercors Regional Natural Park. During the Second World War, the area became an important center of the French Resistance and was the site of severe fighting and reprisals in 1944.
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Where is the Massif du Vercors located?
The Vercors is a limestone massif in the French Prealps, lying mainly within the Isère and Drôme departments. Its high plateaus, cliffs, and gorges rise between the Alpine valleys around Grenoble and the Rhône corridor near Valence.
What happened in the Vercors during World War II?
The plateau became a stronghold of the French Resistance, the 'Maquis du Vercors,' which declared a free republic in 1944. In July 1944 German forces stormed the plateau, using glider-borne troops, and destroyed the village of Vassieux-en-Vercors, now a memorial 'village martyr.'
Is the Vercors a protected natural park?
Yes, much of the massif lies within the Parc naturel régional du Vercors, created in 1970. The park protects the plateaus, forests, and karst landscapes, and its higher areas are popular for hiking, caving, and cross-country skiing.
Why is the Vercors famous among cavers?
The Vercors is one of the world's great caving regions because of its deeply fissured limestone. In the 1950s the Gouffre Berger became the first cave anywhere to be explored beyond 1,000 metres deep, making it a landmark in speleological history.
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